THE POWER OF US

CHAPTER 15

The Start of Something More

Naomi had always been good at pretending.

Pretending she was untouched by Adrian Blake.

Pretending their history was nothing but a battlefield of betrayal and war.

Pretending she could walk away.

But as she lay in that hotel suite, his warmth still lingering on her skin, she realized—there was no pretending anymore.

She turned, finding him watching her. Dark eyes unreadable, but unmistakably possessive.

"You're thinking too much," he murmured, fingers tracing slow, lazy circles on her hip.

She arched a brow, lips curving in that way that always drove him insane. "And you think too little."

Adrian smirked, rolling onto his side, his body pressing against hers. "Not when it comes to you."

Something flickered in her chest—dangerous, unfamiliar.

She shoved it down. “This was a mistake.”

His grip tightened, just slightly. Not enough to trap her—just enough to remind her that he never let go easily.

“Is that what you really think?”

Naomi exhaled, staring at the ceiling. “I don’t have time for this.”

She started to sit up, but in an instant, Adrian was on top of her again—not forceful, not rough, just… inevitable.

"Make time." His voice was low, a command wrapped in silk.

She hated that it made her shiver.

She hated that she was already craving more.

"Adrian…" she warned.

He leaned in, lips brushing against her ear. "Tell me you don’t want this. Tell me last night was nothing."

Naomi swallowed, nails digging into his shoulders.

She could say it.

She should say it.

Instead, she whispered, “I hate you.”

Adrian smirked. “You hate how much you want me.”

And when his lips met hers again—deep, slow, possessive—she knew.

This wasn’t just another night.

This was the beginning of something more.

Something dangerous.

Something she might not survive.

Heat Between Them

The moment Naomi tried to leave, Adrian caught her wrist. Not forcefully—just enough to make her pause, to remind her that she was still here, still tangled in the gravity of him.

She turned, her pulse hammering. "This can't happen again," she murmured, though her voice lacked conviction.

Adrian tilted his head, his gaze dipping to her lips. "Liar."

The space between them crackled, charged with something electric, something neither of them could escape.

He stepped closer, and she didn’t step back.

A dare. A surrender. A mistake waiting to be made.

His fingers skimmed up her arm, leaving goosebumps in their wake. “Tell me you don’t want this,” he murmured, his breath warm against her skin.

Naomi swallowed hard, her resolve slipping like silk through her fingers. She should walk away.

Instead, she whispered, “Shut up, Adrian.”

And then she pulled him down to her.

His lips crashed against hers—hot, hungry, demanding.

Naomi moaned into his mouth, her hands diving into his hair, nails scraping against his scalp. Adrian growled, backing her into the wall, his body pressing against hers, hard and unyielding.

His hands roamed, fingers memorizing the curve of her waist, the dip of her spine. He slid the silk strap of her dress off her shoulder, his lips following the path, slow and reverent.

Naomi gasped as he pressed kisses down her neck, his stubble grazing her skin, sending shivers straight to her core.

"You're mine," he murmured against her collarbone, teeth scraping, tongue soothing.

She arched against him, fire licking at her veins. "You don't own me."

Adrian chuckled, dark and knowing. "No?"

His hands gripped her thighs, lifting her effortlessly. Naomi wrapped her legs around his waist, her dress sliding up, heat meeting heat.

She barely had time to think before he carried her to the bed, laying her down like something precious, something he wasn’t willing to lose again.

Naomi pulled him down with her, nails raking down his back as he claimed her mouth once more.

It wasn’t soft. It wasn’t gentle.

It was years of tension unraveling, need colliding, a hunger neither of them could deny anymore.

Her name left his lips in a groan, low and desperate, as they lost themselves in each other.

And when dawn broke, filtering soft golden light through the windows—Naomi knew nothing would ever be the same again.